I took electronics in college, but that was many years ago. I've retained enough AC and DC theory to be dangerous to myself wink. In those days I took the 'communications option' (RF) instead of the 'computer option', because there weren't many jobs in the computer field yet.

I did a 5 year stint as a "field engineer" for a Cable TV equipment manufacturing company. The title was a gross exaggeration, "field technician" would be more accurate, but the company wanted to impress the clients.

It was a gravy job, fly out Monday night, work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and instead of flying home Friday, I'd take the red-eye out Thursday night. That way I could still gig on the weekends. But they laid off up to 15 years, and I barely had 5. Well since there was no security in being corporate, I went back to playing music full time.

I took the CATV gig to see what normal was all about, and found for me, normal is sooooo overrated.

Back to the switch.

I think I was forcing the pieces of the damaged switch together farther than they were designed to do, causing the circuits in the middle to be closed.

When I got my other guitar back and took out the undamaged switch, I could see a gap between the contacts when the toggle was in center position. The gap was ever so thin, I needed to hold it up to the light and use a magnifying glass to see that they weren't actually touching.

I couldn't use the VOM on the damaged switch, since it fell apart. I think that one was just defective. The machinery that put the parts together must have malfunctioned.

The new switch from Stew-Mac seems to be a better design. It's sealed, which should make the contacts less prone to corrosion. I have been gigging on a quay over a salt water lagoon once a week for 11 years now and corrosion is a fact of life there. But it's a great gig, and how many musicians are lucky enough to have an 11 year house gig? We take summers (the rainy season) off because it's outdoors, and have already been invited back for our 12th as soon as the rainy season ends.

Gigging in the summer here in South Florida is slow, since half the residents go 'up north' for the summer. So that is when I write BiaB styles. I'm working on a new collection now.

When the new switch comes in and gets installed, I'll let you all know the results.

Thank you all so much for taking the time and effort to help.

Bob

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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